Feed mechanism for addressing machine



July 2, 1957 H. 1. NETTLE FEED MECHANISM FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 26, 1954 July 2, 1957 H. l. NETTLE FEEDMECHANISM FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed Nov. 26, 1954 FEED MECHANISM FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE Henry I.Nettle, Norwood, Mass.

Application November 26, 1954, Serial No. 471,277

2 Claims. (Cl. 101-65) This invention relates to addressing machines andpertains more particularly to feed mechanisms for machines of thesemi-automatic type employing a series of printing plates to stamp asequence of addresses.

The type of machine to which this invention pertains consists in generalof a base on which are mounted a bed plate, a printing arm which may bemanually reciprocated between a printing and an idle position and whichcarries an anvil adapted to stamp the address from a printing plate laidover the bed plate, and a feed mechanism which is operated by motion ofthe printing arm to advance a series of printing plates one by one tothe bed plate. The feed mechanism ordinarily operates to advance theplates on the upstroke of the printing arm, that is, as the arm movesfrom the printing position back to the idle position. Provision must bemade to stop the advancing printing plate in the proper position forprinting on the next down stroke of the arm, as the momentum of themoving plate will otherwise cause it to overshoot. This is donesometimes by applying a braking device to the moving plate as it entersthe printing position, and sometimes by use of stops which engage theplate.

The general object of this invention is to provide a simplified feedmechanism, for a machine of the type described, which operates on thedown stroke rather than the up stroke of the printing arm so that theanvil serves as a stop to arrest the printing plate in the desiredposition, thus eliminating the need for a stop mechanism and itsassociated linkage. Another object is to provide a feed mechanism whichmay be operated manually, independently of the printing arm, as well asby motion of the arm, so as to facilitate skipping or rejection ofunwanted plates in a group. Other advantages and novel features of themechanism will be apparent from the description which follows.

In the drawings illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an addressing machine constructed according tothe invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the addressing machine shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 44 of Fig. 1.

The working elements of the device are mounted on a base 10. A printingarm 11 is supported on a forked yoke 11a, having legs 11b and 11crotatably mounted on a shaft 12, which is supported on the base. Thisarm carries an anvil plate 13 which strikes against a stencil, when inthe printing position, to make the impression. A pair of tracks 14 and15 run along the top of the base and have parallel, oppositely disposedgrooves 16 and 17, respectively, to guide the edges of the printingplates 18. A bed plate 19 is mounted between the tracks adjacent one endof the base in a position to be aligned with anvil plate 13, when arm 11is at the end of its downward stroke. A pair of rolls 20 support aninked ribbon 20a which passes over the bed plate in the usual manner.Shields 21 and 22 are mounted to either side of the bed plate to shieldthe ribbon. A magazine 23 is mounted ted States Patent above the tracksnear the end of the base opposite from that on which the bed plate ismounted, and serves to hold a stack of the printing plates 18, as shownin Fig. 4. The tracks 14 and 15 are cut back above the grooves in theregion of the magazine to permit the lowermost printing plate of thestack to drop down into the grooves. A push plate or slide, 24 isslid-ably mounted in the track grooves toward the left hand end of themachine (as viewed in Fig. 4). The legs 11b and lie extend downwardthrough slots 25a and 25b in the casing. Leg 11b carries an offset arm26 to which is attached a lever 27. A rocker arm 29 is mounted on ashaft 30 and carries rollers 31 and 34. Lever 27 has a curved uppersurface 28 which acts as a cam surface in engagement with roller 31, androller 34 engages a bracket 32 which is attached to slide 24. Bracket 32has an upstanding leg 33 along which roller 34 may roll. As arm 11 ispushed downward to the printing position, lever 27, moves roller 31along surface 28 to the position shown by the dotted line 31a causingarm 29 to rotate clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 4, thus pushing slide 24,through the action of roller 34 on bracket 32, to the right andadvancing the line of printing plates along the track. When the arm 11has reached the printing position, lever 27 and rocker arm 29 are in thepositions indicated by dotted outlines 27a and 29a respectively.

Slide 24 is normally urged to the left (as viewed in Fig. 4) by atension spring 35 anchored on the base and connected to a downturned lug36 of bracket 32. A screw 37 is mounted in lug 36 and secured in anydesired position by nuts 38 and 39. This screw engages a boss 40 on thebase and serves as an adjustable stop for the entire feed mechanism atthe end of the printing stroke. Slide 24 is connected tobracket 32 bymeans of screws 41 and 42 which pass through the slide and through aslot 43 in the bracket. This slot lies along the direction of travel ofthe slide and permits adjustment of the slide so as to bring a printingplate exactly into position over the bed plate 19 at the end of theprinting stroke.

A return spring 45 for the printing arm is connected to offset arm 26and anchored to the base. The offset arm also carries an adjustablescrew 46 which engages a projection 47 on the base when the printing arm11 is in the up position and thus serves as a stop to limit theupstroke. Because of the linkage arrangement between lever 27 and slide24, this screw serves as an adjustable stop to limit the return strokeof slide 24, thus determining the travel of the slide. The distancewhich arm 11 moves in the upward direction, is of course, unimportant,as the arm performs its printing operation on the downstroke, only, andthe position from which the downstroke is started does not materiallyeffect the printing impact. The only consideration is that the arm mustbe raised sufficiently to allow for convenient insertion of the card orenvelope to be printed over the bed plate.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The stroke and starting position of the slide 24 are first adjustedaccording to the length of the plates which are to be fed, that is,their dimension in the direction of travel along the track. It isessential for proper operation that the travel of the slide from itspoint of engagement with a plate in the magazine to the point at whichscrew 37 engages stop 40 be equal to the length of one plate so thateach plate is advanced into the position previously occupied by the nextplate in line on the track. The slide 24 is adjusted on bracket 32 so asto engage the plate earlier or later in the forward stroke of the feedmechanism. The length of the stroke is adjusted by means of screw 46,and screw 37 can be set to strike boss 40 just as the anvil 13 strikesthe material laid over the anvil. The latter adjustment will depend tosome extent on the depth of the relief on the plates and the thicknessof material to be printed.

The slide mechanism can be readily operated independently of theprinting arm, as rocker arm 29 has only one way engagement with thebracket 32. The operator can advance a plate manually by pushing againstleg 33. It is preferable to feed the first few plates from a stack inthis manner until the leading plate is about to enter the printingposition. The cards or envelopes which are to be stamped are laid one byone over the bed plate and the operator pushes the handle down to makethe impression. Each downstroke of the arm advances a new plate intoprinting position and ejects the plate previously printed into a bin 48.

It will be noted that the anvil 13 engages the plate which is to beprinted (through the card and inked ribbon) just as the plate arrives inprinting position. The anvil thus simultaneously makes the impressionand stops the forward motion of the plates in the track. The need for astop mechanism for aligning the plate in position is thus eliminated.

The fact that the slide 24 can be operated manually, independently ofthe printing arm, facilitates rejection, or skipping of unwanted platesin a series. The machine can also be readily made to repeat by holdingthe slide in the forward position when the desired plate has arrived inprinting position and operating the printing arm to stamp the address onthe plate as many times as desired. For this purpose, a lock bar 49 isprovided. This bar is swivelled on a screw 50 and has a shoulder 51which engages behind leg 33 when the bar is swung in behind the latterin the advanced position, as indicated by the dotted lines 49a and 33ain Fig. 1. As long as the slide is locked in the forward position, nomovement of the row of plates will take place.

What is claimed is:

1. In an addressing machine of the type having a printing arm mounted ona base and swingable between an idle position and a printing position,and a track along Which a series of plates travel to a printing stationalso mounted on the base, a feed mechanism comprising; a slide membermounted on said base and adapted to reciprocate between an advanceposition and a return position and to push plates along said track bymovement into said advance position; a lever attached to said arm androtatable therewith in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of thearm; a rotor ,arm mounted on said base and rotatable in a plane parallelto the plane of rotation of said lever; a cam surface on said lever; afirst roller on said rocker arm, engaging said cam surface; a secondroller on said rocker arm; and a bracket attached to said slide andhaving a leg engaged by said second roller,

7 the motion of said printing arm to said printing position beingtransmitted by engagement of said cam surface with said first roller, tosaid rocker arm, and thence, by engagement of said second roller withsaid leg, to said bracket to drive the slide to said advance position;and means for returning said slide to said return position.

2. A feed mechanism as described in claim 1, having a first adjustablestop member for limiting the travel of said slide in the advancedirection, and a second adjustable stop member for limiting the motionof said lever and said linkage as said arm moves from printing positionto idle positon, whereby the total travel of the slide may be regulated,and said slide being adjustable with respect to said bracket in thedirection of said track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

